~Timeskip
Absolutely not! There was no way I was going to let Yona-hime use herself as bait to capture Yang Kum-Ji. Not only was it dangerous, it was incredibly risky – what if they discovered her? Or what if we couldn't reach her in time?
"I'll go with her" a familiar voice spoke up as I internally groaned.
Not you too…
These 2 princesses were driving me insane - they were more stubborn than any man I knew and had no sense of self-preservation of their lives; a deadly combination to say the least. What's worst was I couldn't seem to say no to them, or convince them of anything otherwise.
Their entourage was currently on a pirate ship off Awa Port where Princess Yona had volunteered them to help Captain Gi-Gan end Lord Kum-Ji's reign of terror. Over the past few months, they had followed Ik-Su's instructions to search out the 4 legendary dragons of which to date they had located 3 – Kija, Shin-Ah and Jae-Ha.
Nobody except Jae-Ha noticed the dark look on Hak's face as the Captain approved the plan – it was the best way to locate the missing girls and rescue them.
Sora lay on her back basking in the moonlight. She heard soft footsteps down below so she sat up to take a look. She watched from the cliff above as Hak walked past, then stopped just below where she was sitting. Yoon had taught her much about gunpowder and fireworks over dinner. She had hiked her way up the mountain after that to clear her thoughts and prepare herself before the plan was executed tomorrow.
He stood there in silence for a moment with his arms folded. She could tell he was in one of his moods again; he had been ever since the plan was concocted. And she knew why – Yona. It had always been Yona. Truth be told, she wasn't totally unperturbed, it hurt her deeply when she saw them together but she knew better than to be petty about it. She didn't hold any resentment for her sister, or Hak for that matter. She knew how Hak felt about her sister. And as a result, she often suppressed any feelings or desire she felt (as soon as she had realized her own feelings for him) because what was more important was that they both were happy and loved. And if that means Hak had to continue being oblivious about her feelings, then so be it.
Just then, Yona appeared; she seemed to have come from the direction of the ship. She watched quietly as Hak grabbed Yona and pushed her against the wall, asking her to give up on her mission. After some muffled conversation, he had no choice but to let her go. He must have realized by now that Yona had changed so much too.
Sora had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she did not notice a certain green-haired man watching her from a tree nearby. He drank in the sight of her delicate features and silhouette illuminated by the moonlight, the resigned look in her eyes as she watched the scene below her.
~ Later that night...
Hak couldn't sleep. No matter how he tossed and turned, he was still wide awake. He was thinking about his encounter with Yona-hime earlier – she had changed so much, and to be honest, he knew it had been a long shot trying to convince her to give up.
His thoughts then wandered to Sora-hime. Things between them were a little different from what it used to be; at first he had thought it was due to the time they had spent apart but then he had realized that she would instinctively put some distance between them every time it seemed like things were getting back to normal. He couldn't understand it. On the other hand, she was overly friendly to all the others, often oblivious to the effect she had on men, Jae-Ha in particular who seemed to have taken a special liking to her. He couldn't understand why that irked him as much as it did either.
He got up and started walking aimlessly around the parameters of the campsite. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a particular tent, without any conscious idea why he was there. He gently lifted the flap of the tent and looked at the sleeping duo inside. Yona-hime was sleeping soundly with her face partially hidden by the covers. After ensuring she was fine, he then turned his gaze to the dark-haired figure next to her. He took in the sight of her long dark hair, framing her face, her long eyelashes fanned across her cheek. She had a hand under her makeshift pillow, which he knew from his childhood memories, was clasped around a small dagger that she always slept with. He closed the flap noiselessly and sat down under a tree nearby.
"Can't sleep? Something on your mind?" a deep voice said.
"Could say the same for you" he retorted to a smirking Jae-Ha.
Jae-Ha plopped down next to him and just sat there in silence, a smirk still plastered across his face.
…
"What!?" he asked, frustrated at Jae-Ha's silence.
"Nothing"
"Well if you're not gonna say anything, go back to your own tent!"
"Just out of curiosity… which one of them is keeping you up on a nice night like this?"
"Huh?"
"You know… I could always take one of them off your hands"
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Well bro, the way I see it, Yona is far better suited with you and Sora is way better off with me. It's perfect. What do ya say?"
"I say go jump off a cliff… Besides, Sora-hime deserves a lot better than the likes of you"
"Oh? You mean someone like you?" Jae-Ha taunted.
"What are you talking about? We're just friends"
"Are you sure she feels the same way?"
"Of course, we grew up together. We're best friends, she said so herself"
"Yona, Soo-Won and yourself grew up together too but that didn't stop any of you, did it"
"That's different!"
"Well then I suppose you mean to say you have no 'manly' feelings towards Sora whatsoever? I guess you won't mind if I pursue her seriously starting from now then?"
"I'll pummel you to dust"
"That's awfully selfish of you, hoarding 2 princesses for yourself… Just do us all a favor and ask yourself then – if you don't see her as a woman, which she is by the way if you had bothered to look, why do you feel angry at the thought of her being pursued by another man? Is it just because it's me or would it be the same for any other man? You might wanna think about that" and with that Jae-Ha walked away, leaving Hak to his own thoughts.
...
At dawn, I was dressing myself in the cabin with the clothes Captain Gi-Gan had provided me the night before; apparently my usual black outfit was too conspicuous. I reluctantly put down my sheathed swords, bow and staff on a table, taking only a small dagger that I could easily hide in my waistband. I heard the floorboards creak behind me and instinctively reached for my sword, unsheathing it as I turned. But before it was fully unsealed, a hand covered mine over the hilt and pushed it back in its place with a decisive click.
I recognized his familiar masculine scent before I even saw his face. His blue gaze held mine intently as he moved closer. I backed away until my hip bumped into the table as he put both his palms down on the table on either side of me, trapping me between the table and his large frame.
"Hak, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" I said, frantically trying to grab my cloak to cover myself as I realized I still wasn't completely dressed; my outer robe was still undone. He grabbed my hand, stilling me.
I turned a shade of red as he leaned his forehead on my barely clothed shoulder, his warmth seeping through the thin fabric against my skin.
"Hak? What's gotten into you? Did something happen?" I asked worriedly.
"… It'll be alright, I'll protect Yona with my life. You have nothing to worry about, I'll make sure she returns safely, I promise" I continued when he didn't reply, assuming this was the reason behind his strange behavior.
"You two will be the death of me, I swear"
"Huh?"
"I worry for you too, Sora-hime"
"Oh… Well don't, I can take care of myself"
"Do you have any idea what it's like knowing that anything could happen to you and I'd be helpless to do anything about it?"
"You mean if anything were to happen to Yona"
"… That's not what I meant"
I pushed him gently off my shoulder, holding him away at arms' length.
"Hak, please don't concern yourself about me. I understand that Yona is the main priority, and I will keep her safe for you. That's all there is to it. Now please, I have to get ready"
I turned my back to him, effectively dismissing him. I held my composure until I heard the soft click of the door closing behind him. Only then did I allow myself to release a heavy sigh. I thought my resolve had been strong enough, I knew how he felt about Yona and yet, why did it still allow myself to fall for his words?
Sora, you idiot… I can't allow myself to accept his concern, I can't. It's too much to bear. If you do, even being his friend will get tougher"
~ Timeskip
The town was abuzz with festivities and celebrations as Awa Port rejoiced in their freedom.
Yona and Sora had successfully infiltrated Yang Kum-Ji's human trafficking ship and taken down their operation. Although Yona sprained her ankle, she had been able to escape with the help of Sora and Yuri, one of the girls who were kidnapped. On the deck, Sora had held off the soldiers, giving Yona the chance to light the fireworks, signalling Shin-Ah.
Sora had sustained minor injuries while protecting Yona before Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah had come to assist them. While Sora had continued to fight alongside the men, Yona who had dealt the final blow, shooting Yang Kum-Ji in the chest with her arrow as he tried to escape on a row boat.
Whilst everyone was celebrating that night, Hak sat by a fire sipping his drink. His gaze wandered to Yona-hime; she had been visibly shaken by something she saw earlier this morning although she did not tell him exactly what it was. After checking that she seemed fine, he scanned the crowd for a certain raven-haired girl but she was nowhere to be found. In fact, she had been missing since they had arrived back at the port.
"Hak?" Yona called out as she saw him walking off on his own towards the inn. The townspeople had graciously offered them accommodations for the night. He did not seem to have heard her but continued walking. Yona followed him curiously.
